Bodies of kidnapped federal agents found inside a car in Mexico, after cartel YouTube video shows Octavio Martinez and Alfonso Hernandez surrounded by gang members

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Octavio Martinez and Alfonso Hernandez disappeared on Feb 5 after attending a family event in Nayrit, Mexico

A video posted online the following weekend appeared to show the two agents kneeling, their hands tied and surrounded by gun-wielding gang members

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel claimed they’re behind the kidnapping

Their bodies were found inside a car in Mexico, the remains have been returned to their families after DNA tests confirmed their identities

Martínez, a 26-year-old lawyer, and Hernández, a 28-year-old criminologist, had joined the agency less than a year ago

Mexico is experiencing its worst-ever surge in violent crime, with more than 25,000 killings in 2017, a rate of nearly 21 per 100,000 people

The bodies of Octavio Martinez [left], and Alfonso Hernandez [right], were found in a car. The pair disappeared on February 5 in Nayrit, Mexico

Mexican authorities have identified human remains found inside a car in Mexico as belonging to a pair of kidnapped federal agents from the organized crime unit who vanished early February.
The Mexican attorney general’s office said Sunday that the remains found last week were of Octavio Martinez and Alfonso Hernandez, who were last seen in an online video earlier this month tied up and surrounded by cartel members.
Martinez and Hernandez disappeared on February 5 after attending a family event in the Pacific state of Nayarit, one of the regions hit hardest by an increase in gang-related killings.
Martínez, a 26-year-old lawyer, and Hernández, a 28-year-old criminologist, while on leave were attending a christening in Nayarit state, western Mexico. The Pacific state of Nayarit is one of the regions hit hardest by an increase in gang-related killings.
Both men had joined the agency less than a year ago.
A a Jihadi type video, posted online the following weekend by the alleged abductors, appeared to show the two agents kneeling and with their hands tied behind.
The description of the video on YouTube said the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was behind the kidnapping, but this could not be confirmed.Related:Attorney Gen of Mexican state, Edgar Veytia, held on drug trafficking charges – $250m could be seized
The attorney general’s office said it returned the remains to the families of the agents after DNA tests confirmed their identities. He said law enforcement would keep working to find the murderers.

Alfonso Hernandez (left) and Octavio Martinez [right], on YouTube. They can be seen on the ground tied up and surrounded by a group of gang members. The video was posted earlier in February

The video which was posted earlier this month showed the two missing men on the ground tied up and surrounded by gun-toting gang members. Their bodies were then found in a car

‘The Attorney General of the Republic laments and condemns this terrible finding, and expresses solidarity with the mourning of the families,’ the office said in a statement.
Mexico is experiencing its worst-ever surge in violent crime, with more than 25,000 killings in 2017, a rate of nearly 21 per 100,000 people.
The United States regards the New Jalisco cartel as one of Mexico’s most powerful drug gangs.
Last year, Nayarit’s then attorney general, Edgar Veytia, was arrested in San Diego on U.S. narcotics trafficking conspiracy charges.
Violence has increased in the region as rival drug gangs splinter into smaller groups and dispute territory. The Mexican government in January announced that it would deploy more federal police troopers to crack down on criminal groups in affected regions.